


Ahoy Sailor

by shelovestoship



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Back in the Navy, F/M, Goodbye, Higgy being annoyed (but not with Magnum for once.), I think?, Magnum going back into the Navy, Magnum taking a chance, Mostly cute though, little angsty, well not just with him at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28097496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shelovestoship/pseuds/shelovestoship
Summary: “You can’t give me your father’s watch,” she protested.
Relationships: Juliet Higgins/Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV
Comments: 23
Kudos: 94





	Ahoy Sailor

**Author's Note:**

> Is the title terrible? Yes. Am I open to other suggestions? Yes.
> 
> So my laser-eye surgeon got covid19 or something and had to cancel so my surgery won't be until the 21th. Which is annoying because I had time off work, but I made good use of it by dying my hair hot pink (actually I meant for it to be purple but pink is what I ended up with and I guess it's kind of fun...) and writing this! I think 3x02 is my favorite so far, mostly because of the Soft Juliet/ watch return moment...

## Ahoy Sailor

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.” She sounded furious as if it was the first time talking about this and not the fiftieth. Like they weren't at a busy navy base with people all around.“Remember last time?”

“Juliet-”

“We had to come save you! In South America!” she continued, unperturbed, even as two young sailors gave them odd looks. 

Her worry gave him perhaps more enjoyment than it should have. But for a while now, he’d felt as if he was perhaps more... attached than her. Seeing her so angry at his impending departure thus settled him. Made him feel less like he was alone in what he was feeling. 

Mad the idea of leaving hurt more too.

Because he was leaving something that was just at the cusp, just starting to truly come into being. 

“I can’t tell them no. I tried, remember?” he insisted, reaching out to take one of her elbows. To steady her, maybe. To just touch her, maybe. “It’s just for six months. And I’m just going to be training new SEALs, not actually going on missions.”

“You’re going to Yemen! It’s not exactly rating high on safe places to live!”

“ _Shhh_ ,” he told her, looking around. No one was listening in but still... “I told you I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone where I was going.”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not just anyone.”

“No,” he agreed, “You’re not.”

She held his eyes for a long moment. Did that thing where she looked at him and made him feel like he was the most important thing in the world. Like nothing else existed.

A ship honked loudly and the moment ended.

“Well, right.” She began to turn away. “If I can’t talk some sense into you.”

“I don’t want to go,” he said, blocking her from leaving. “You do understand that, right?”

“I do,” she said, looking down at the ground. “I’m just… I’m just upset you’re leaving.”

He’d said almost those exact words to her not a year earlier. Then he hadn’t been able to tell her why he was so upset. Perhaps he didn’t even fully know himself then.

He wondered if she knew.

Meeting her eyes again, he decided she did.

“Here,” he said, slipping his watch off his wrist. He'd already decided he'd ask her to take care of it. Because she understood how important it was. He also liked the idea of her seeing it every day, every hour, and thinking of him. “Take it.”

“You can’t give me your father’s watch,” she protested, stepping back as he held it out for her.

“It’s my watch,” he said, pressing it into her hand.“I can give it to whoever I want. Besides, I can’t bring it with me.”

“But-”

“Take good care of it, okay?” 

She hesitated, then nodded and slipped it on her wrist. Her other hand wrapped around the watch, as if to protect it. “I will.”

He knew she would.

"Juliet... I... I" 

"I know," she said. He nodded. They didn't need words. Never had, not really. "Me too."

But because he wasn’t going to see her for half a year he decided he couldn’t just let her go.

Not without something more. Something concrete. A memory of her, them. Of what might be when he came back. Would be.

So he stepped in close, giving her a moment to figure out where he was going with this.

Then he kissed her. Very softly at first. Because if this wasn't what she wanted if she wasn't ready, it could almost be nothing. Just a moment, a second, where things were different.

But she kissed him back, wrapping her hands around him, sliding one into his hair, opened up and they pressed together. She tasted of peppermint and promises and he knew he'd remember this moment, think of it, every day until they were reunited.

“You better come back,” she said when they pulled apart. 

“Ahh one could almost think you cared,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“Let's not get ahead of ourselves,” she said with the smallest of smiles. “But I will admit, I would be rather crossed with you if you died.”

“Well,” he said, smiling. “I guess that means I have to come back.”

“Yes,” she agreed, serious again, “You do.”

.

.

.

**End**

**Author's Note:**

> So as much as Higgy bringing Magnum the watch in a box feels like a proposal parallel (I mean come on!) I'd also love to see Magnum giving Higgy his father's watch to care for. This was the only scenario that I could think that really made sense. Also, separation is fun...and angsty. Right?


End file.
